Ian Paterson’s only spent two Christmases with his family in the past 12 years. As he looks to wind up his job with NZ Cricket, he reflects on his career with TRACEY ROXBURGH
Queenstowner Ian Paterson’s been NZ Cricket’s team liaison so long, some of the international players he looks after now call him ‘granddad’.
Twelve years ago Ian got the call ‘‘out of the blue’’ to take on the job, which has seen him spend up to a third of the year, through summer, on the road, looking after logistics for national and international touring sides.
When first asked, Ian says he thought he better ask his wife of 40 years, Jude, first.
‘‘She said, ‘that’s a great opportunity, so why don’t you go for it?’
‘‘I have a sneaking suspicion she might have thought it was a one-year thing.’’
Ian flew back to Queenstown last Friday, having been with the Black Caps during the T20 World Cup in Australia, and is now in Wellington with the Indian side, staying with them till early next month.
It’s a vastly different job to the one he thought he’d be doing when he left Dunedin’s Kaikorai Valley College at 15 to join the army as a field engineer, ‘‘because I liked to blow things up and break things’’.
While his grandparents served in the war, it was during a careers day at high school the army piqued his interest.
‘‘It was one of the best things I ever did in my life.’’
The army also put him through his carpentry apprenticeship, but he spent seven years working in mine warfare, booby trapping and involved in police operations.
While based in Palmerston North the 22-year-old married Jude, who’d been his pen-friend for years while she was living with her family at NZ’s army base in Singapore — they met through her brother, who was in Ian’s army intake.
The couple honeymooned in Queenstown, where Ian spent many a holiday as a kid at his grandparents’ ‘‘dungery old crib’’ in Arrowtown.
His parents had already moved to Queenstown, where his dad was Queenstown Motor Camp’s assistant manager, and his mum worked in Skyline’s gondola souvenir shop.
Soon after their marriage, Ian put in his discharge, and within nine months they’d relocated here.
Ian initially put his carpentry skills to use, while Jude worked for Skyline, eventually becoming the office manager.
While on maternity leave with oldest son, Brett, Skyline asked if they’d take over Blue Peaks Lodge management.
About five years later, after younger son Kyle arrived, they also took over Mountain View Lodge, which they ran for 13 years, till it was bowled.
Next, Ian spent four years as Queenstown Events Centre ops manager, and another two as general manager, before trying his hand at real estate with Tourism Properties.
And, for the past 12 years the couple’s managed Spinnaker Bay Executive Apartments, and, for the past nine, Ian’s also been the owner/operator of Queenstown’s Corporate Cabs.
It was during his time at the Events Centre, though, he forged his relationship with NZ Cricket.
While not a cricketer himself, he got involved through his sons, who grew up under the tutelage of Joe O’Connell, and made it to Otago under-19 rep level.
Given he was carting the boys around anyway, Ian decided to get involved, did a coaching course, managed a couple of the Otago age-group teams, and spent many years as Queenstown Cricket Club’s president.
Those experiences reaped dividends for his team liaison work, and while he made the call at the end of last season this season would be his last, NZ Cricket is ‘‘still working hard to try and turn me around to stay on a bit longer’’.
While the job’s been a lot of fun, and created some amazing memories, there have been some downsides.
‘‘Out of the last 12 years, I’ve only had two Christmases at home with the family, so that’s been pretty tough to handle.’’
It’s time, the 63-year-old says, for him and Jude to slow down a bit.
‘‘Jude’s sacrificed a lot … she’s been my rock.
‘‘We’ve never liked letting people down, we find it hard to say ‘no’ … but there comes a time when you’ve got to rest; you’re only alive one time.’’
